Jeremy Colliton will be the first to admit the Blackhawks aren’t nearly a finished product.

But the Blackhawks have a come long way in recent weeks. With a 4-2-1 record in their past seven games, they are riding one of their better stretches of the season.

Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean the playoffs are in their future. They would need to go something like 30-11-2 over their final 43 games to reach 94 points, which is probably what will be required to get into the playoffs as a wild card.

Yet, there are some positives to take from the Blackhawks’ play. Here’s a look at some recent trends and some season-long ones:

Leaning on Murphy: Since returning from injury nine games ago, Connor Murphy has quickly become one of Colliton’s favorite defensemen. Murphy is second to only Duncan Keith in 5-on-5 ice time over the past nine games. In that span, Murphy has a plus-4.22 relative Corsi and has been on the ice for 10 goals...